Bengaluru, September 24, 2026: Khalin Joshi returned a three-under 69 to maintain his lead with a three-shot advantage after round three of the INR 1 crore Bengaluru Open 2026 powered by IndianOil at the Karnataka Golf Association (KGA).
The 34-year-old Bengaluru golfer (61-68-69), who began the day with a six-stroke advantage, made an eagle on the par-five fifth and three birdies against two bogeys to reach 18-under 198 heading into the final round.
Gurugram’s Manu Gandas (69-68-64), the 2023 DP World PGTI Rankings champion, produced the lowest score of the day with a bogey-free eight-under 64. Gandas climbed from tied third to second at 15-under 201, reducing Joshi’s lead by three shots.
Gandas, currently 20th in the Race to DP World India Championship, made eight birdies, including three in succession from the 10th through the 12th.
Current Race to DP World India Championship leader Saptak Talwar (67-70-68) of Greater Noida moved into sole third place at 11-under 205 after posting a four-under 68 featuring five birdies and one bogey.
Gurugram’s Veer Ahlawat (68-69-69) and local teenager Manoj S (65-70-71) shared fourth place at 10-under 206.
Joshi found the third round considerably more demanding as the wind strengthened, the greens quickened, and the flag positions became more challenging.
“It was a challenging round,” Joshi said. “I didn’t strike the ball particularly well, but I held the round together and avoided playing myself out of the tournament. I’m still in a comfortable position and looking forward to tomorrow.”
Joshi’s eagle on the fifth provided the highlight. After his tee shot narrowly avoided the hazard, he laid up before holing a lob wedge from 94 yards.
“I played it as a 102-yard shot into the wind because I knew there was a backstop beyond the hole,” he said. “The ball landed past the pin, spun back and went in.”
The leader later made a three-putt and dropped another shot on the 15th after his drive found a plugged lie in a bunker. He limited the damage to a bogey before responding with birdies on his final two holes.
“The three-putt came from a poor first putt and a slight lapse in concentration,” Joshi said. “On the 15th, I didn’t hit a good tee shot and was unlucky with the lie, but I made a good bogey and finished strongly with two birdies.”
The fifth begins a pivotal three-hole risk-reward stretch at KGA. The par five is reachable in two but has water and trees guarding either side, while the sixth and seventh are long par fours, with water also coming into play on the sixth. The ninth provides another demanding test as a lengthy par-four.
The short par-four 10th and downwind par-five 11th offer the best scoring opportunities, while the closing stretch is more exacting. The tight par-four 17th features an elevated green, and the tree-lined par-five 18th is protected by strategically positioned bunkers.